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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 2024).

The Things They Say!

Hudson Music: Lance's "Bebop Spoken Here" is one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK.

Rupert Burley (Dynamic Agency): "BSH just goes from strength to strength".

'606' Club: "A toast to Lance Liddle of the terrific jazz blog 'Bebop Spoken Here'"

The Strictly Smokin' Big Band included Be Bop Spoken Here (sic) in their 5 Favourite Jazz Blogs.

Ann Braithwaite (Braithwaite & Katz Communications) You’re the BEST!

Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

17372 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 656 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (Sept. 17).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 19: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Kevin Eland, Dan Johnson, Jeremy McMurray, Ron Smith.

Fri 20: Lindsay Hannon’s Tom Waits for No Man @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 20: Rob Hall & Chick Lyall @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free (donations). SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Leeway @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. The Old Black Cat Jazz Club. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 1:00-2:45pm. Free.
Sat 21: Vieux Carré Hot Four @ The Beehive, Hartley Lane, Earsdon Whitley Bay NE25 0SZ. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Sat 21: Baghdaddies @ Two by Two, Albion Row, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1RQ. 6:00pm.
Sat 21: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 21: Jude Murphy & Alan Law @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sun 22: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Richard Herdman @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 22: Remy CB Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:30pm. Free. Remi, 2024 Newcastle Uni graduate, superb soul/blues voice!

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert! SOLD OUT!

Tue 24: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv. from Tully’s of Rothbury). Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 24: Sarah Gillespie @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £16.50. Duo performance with Chris Montague.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Middlesbrough Theatre. 7:30pm.

Sunday, October 02, 2022

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music: Adam Johnson plays the music of John Cage @ the Lit & Phil - Sept. 30

(© Ken Drew)
Adam Johnson (prepared piano)

I guess most people have heard of John Cage, but relatively few have heard his music, and even fewer seen and heard a live performance of his work.  Such a performance was held at the Lit & Phil as part of the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music. After an enthusiastic introduction, James Smith, revealed that one of his goals in life was to see a live performance of Cage’s music for prepared piano.


The first piece titled 4'33 (in three movements) lasted exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds and was greeted with much applause and a little mirth for the player staring unwaveringly at the blank music in front of him. A perfect rendition, although Johnson himself did quip that maybe anyone in the audience could actually perform it.


(© Ken Drew)
Moving on to a significantly major piece,  Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, was for me a stunning revelation of a scored piece played on a prepared piano, rather than improvised. Written in New York between 1946-48 (some 20+ years before the availability of synthesisers) to create a percussion ensemble for a dance group. The piano preparation takes around 2 hours, and follows meticulous instructions and measurements as to where the items of rubber, felt, screws and bolts are to be placed.  Their absolute position is determined by ear to ensure the tonalities are ‘in tune’ across the prepared range, producing a similar sound to a Gamelan orchestra. 


(© Ken Drew)
And so the main piece, Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (selection), which lasted some 45 minutes, was performed as meticulously as the preparation. Johnson is an accomplished musician, and read the complex-looking score perfectly. For the first few minutes the appearance of gamelan drums emerging from the upper keyboard register (and some from lower down) seemed startling but quickly the sounds settled as intended – an orchestral piece with polyphony in its sonic ranges and in its rhythms too.  Overall this was absolutely thrilling to see and hear this work performed.  Bravo! to Johnson, and to the organisers for bringing him to Newcastle to perform.

After the performance Johnson invited interested members of the audience to look at (but not to touch!)  the modifications within and across the piano strings, and to ask any questions.  There were many! Ken Drew

 

This concert was presented by Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music in association with Jazz at the Literary and Philosophical Society and Jazz North East. 

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